I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome as a little girl. Due to my disability, as well as the fact that I do not have a driver’s license, I wasn’t able to land a job until my early twenties. After being turned down at countless other places, I finally manage to get a job as a waitress at a small restaurant on the outskirts of Chicago.

About a year into my job, we have a new shift manager take over for the one who originally hired me. One day, I’m sweeping the floor when the shift manager approaches me and orders me to the office.

Me: “What’s up?”

Manager: “[My Name], you are fired.”

Me: *Shocked* “On what grounds?”

Manager: *Sternly* “You know what I’m referring to.”

I don’t know at all what she’s referring to.

Me: “Was it something I did? Did I not clock my hours correctly? Was there a shortfall in the till? Please, tell me!”

Manager: “I shouldn’t have to tell you. You already know.”

Me: “Honest, I don’t know! Really!”

Manager: *Raising her voice* “Don’t you lie to me! You know what happened, and you know that it warrants your termination.”

I’m on the verge of tears at this point.

Me: “You don’t understand! I don’t know what I did to deserve this!”

Manager: *Now yelling* “YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID! DON’T YOU TELL ME YOU DON’T KNOW!”

The head chef overhears the manager’s yelling and steps into the office. He is visibly angry.

Head Chef: “What’s going on? What’s all the yelling about?”

I can’t take it anymore and break down crying.

Me: “I just got fired! I don’t know why, and [Manager] isn’t telling me!”

Manager: “SHUT UP! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY!”

Head Chef: “No, she doesn’t, and neither do I. Please tell me what happened, and why you fired [My Name].”

Manager: “It’s none of your business!”

Head Chef: “Actually, as the owner of [Restaurant], this is very much my business.” *Sternly* “Now please, tell me what you fired [My Name] for.”

Manager: “Okay, fine! I’m firing her for insubordination!”

Head Chef: “Insubordination, huh? Show me her write-ups. I want proof of this.”

The manager suddenly goes pale. She begins scrambling through the desk.

Manager: “Umm… I… I think I misplaced them.”

The head chef glares at her for a moment and then turns to me.

Head Chef: “Why don’t you go take a break, [My Name]? Take a moment to pull yourself together. I would like to talk one-on-one with [Manager].”

While I was regrouping in the break room, I could hear the head chef yelling at the shift manager in the office. We had a new shift manager by week’s end.

I later learned from a coworker that the now ex-shift manager had planned to directly fire me for being on the autism spectrum and was trying to pass it off as insubordination. The head chef knew better, not only because the former shift manager failed to provide any proof of my so-called “insubordination,” but also because, as it turns out, he actually had the same disability as me.

I’m still working there to this day, but I haven’t seen the former shift manager since the day she was fired.

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It’s at the end of June 2009, and I am doing call center customer service for a cable company.

Caller: “My cable is out!”

Me: “I can see that. You’re in the Philadelphia area, which is very busy at the moment. I won’t be able to get a tech out to you for a couple of days.

Caller: *Suddenly screaming* “Racists! You cut my cable because [Company] doesn’t want Black people to know that Michael Jackson is dead!” *Click*

A while back I was cashing out on a relatively busy day, and several other coworkers were on registers, as well. I was done cashing someone out when one of my newer coworkers needed help replacing the tape in the register. While I was helping my coworker, an older woman came through my line. I was finishing up so I told her I would be with her in a second.

Me: “Hello, I’m sorry for the delay.”

Customer: *Referring to the teenagers* “They shouldn’t be allowed to work here. They can’t do anything. Training them is useless.”

She continued for a minute disparaging young people.

I just wanted her out and didn’t really say anything directly to her. However, in our store, we take expired coupons even if they expired pretty far back. The item the lady bought was coupon-excluded, but I didn’t know until I scanned the coupon. Normally, I would write on it that it had not been used so they could use it again, but I was feeling petty, so I just gave it back to her and wished her a good day.

A customer comes into the butcher shop I work in, complaining.

Customer: “Your Chinese sausage? It was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten!”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Customer: “They tasted just like those gross Chinese ribs!”

Me: “Well, yeah, that’s the point of them.”

Customer: “Oh, really? Well, I’ll get another Chinese sausage, then.”

As I’m handing it to her, she says:

Customer: “Leave it to the d***ed Chinese to f*** up sausage, right?”

Never before have I seen stupidity on top of racism on top of stupidity like that before.

I drive a taxi. One evening, I picked up three men who were all around thirty. They asked me to take them to a well-known gay bar in downtown Copenhagen.

They asked if they could listen to some music. My radio wasn’t working properly, so all I had was my own CD in the CD player. That day, I happened to be listening to Volbeat, which is a bit on the heavy side.

They complained that they don’t want to listen to heavy rock, so I turned it off again. A moment later, they wanted to listen to it anyway, so I turned on the music again. Two minutes later, they again decided that they didn’t want to listen to heavy rock. Again, I turned off the music. When they changed their mind yet again a minute or two later, I just ignored them, as we were only a few minutes from their destination.

When I didn’t turn on the music again at their request, one of them shouted “hate crime” several times. That he used such a term just because he didn’t get everything his own way actually shocked me.

To me, a term like that is not something you should use lightly.